Introduction to Large Format Photography: What’s the Big Deal?

Since the beginning of photography in the 1830s, cameras have been used to make images on light-sensitive plates, paper, and later sheets of film. For much of photography’s early history, many commercial and artistic photographs were made with large cameras using materials measuring 4×5 inches or larger. As photographic materials improved and smaller cameras became more widely available, photography became increasingly portable and accessible to amateur photographers.
This program offers an introduction to large format photography and the many reasons artists continue to work with these cameras today. Participating photographers will present their cameras, share examples of their work, and discuss what is distinctive about the large format process in an age of digital photography. The program will include a range of historic and contemporary cameras, including:
• 8×10 inch L.F. Deardorff & Sons cameras presented by Ken Hough Deardorff cameras were made in Chicago and became among the most respected large format cameras in the United States. Two early Deardorff cameras will be displayed: one used for commercial work, including photographing glassware for the Marshall Field’s Department Store catalog, and another associated with the important twentieth-century photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White.
• 5×7 inch Cambo camera and 4×5 inch Crown Graphic camera, presented by Carl Hartt
• Cirkut No. 10 panoramic camera, presented by Drew Tanner. Capable of making images 10x72 inches and longer, this camera was used by its previous owner to make official group portraits of state legislatures across the country, national political conventions, and sports car clubs. Today, Drew uses this Cirkut camera to document life along the Ohio River and its tributaries, as well as Appalachian landscapes across West Virginia and Southeast Ohio.
• Stereo camera, presented by Eric Nelson
• 20×24 inch ultra-large format camera, presented by Francis Fullam
The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion about the history, physical presence, technical possibilities, and continued relevance of large format photography